Brain-Spine Implants Let Monkey Walk Again [video]

It takes a village to make a monkey walk again. Swiss scientists in collaboration with a host of others have used a neuroprosthesis to enable paralyzed primates to walk within two weeks of spinal injury. One monkey learned to walk again within six days.

Now neuroscientists at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have used implants in the brain and spine to enable paralyzed primates to walk again. The implants connect to a neuroprosthetic that bypasses the site of spinal cord injury. The implants transmit and receive signals wirelessly so there are no external prosthetic structures or tethered electronics. To speed the transition from primates to humans, the researchers used components that previously were approved for use in humans trials. That next step may take a while, however. “This is the first time that neurotechnology restores locomotion in primates,” says EPFL neuroscientist Grégoire Courtine. “But there are many challenges ahead and it may take several years before all the components of this intervention can be tested in people.”